Colombia has been engaged in an internal armed conflict between guerrillas, government forces and paramilitary groups for 50 years. More than 5 million people have suffered forced displacement in the country, mainly in rural and semi-rural areas, which contain pockets of high Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) – principally among indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations, while access to health care services is limited.

In Camarones, a small community in northern Colombia, malnutrition is shockingly high. School officials estimate that of the 650 school children who attend school from rural areas, mostly surrounding rancherias, 70% of those children are malnourished.

Teachers see the hunger in their student's young faces. Many children at school are physically drained and have lost the spark of youth that they should have. Particularly, the Wayu youth, many of whom have to walk up to 2 hours to attend classes, come to school without breakfast or lunch. The malnutrition manifests physically and these children often complain about pain in their stomach and headaches. Consistently, these young children have a general sense of feeling bad and are oftentimes sick.

To help counter malnutrition, we have initiated preventive health nutrition trainings and promotions at their school, which focus on eating well and proper hygiene.

Malteser International has been active in Northern Colombia since 2014 working in the fields of health, food security and climate change adaptation mainly in the poor rural areas of the departments of La Guajira, César and Magdalena, and with vulnerable groups (indigenous, Afro-Colombian and conflict affected populations).

PROJECT GALLERY

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